VARIOUS PROJECTS / Elizabeth Beer and Brian Janusiak formed Various Projects in 2005 as a multidisciplinary design collaboration. Elizabeth brought with her a background in documentary film and clothing design, and she holds an MFA in Sculpture from the School of Visual Arts. Brian came from a background in fine art, printmaking, and design, having earned an MFA in Graphic Design from the Yale School of Art.

The retail arm of Various Projects, named Project No. 8 (www.projectno8.com), currently has two locations in Manhattan: the men's store at 38 Orchard Street and the travel shop at the Ace Hotel. The men's store opened in 2009, focusing on menswear by both emerging talent and leading international designers. Project No. 8 / Ace Hotel opened in the beginning of 2010 with an emphasis on design, travel, and re-interpretation of the meaning of a hotel shop. The retail concept is to provide a space that functions as an outlet for things made by Various Projects, while also serving as a showcase for the work of other designers/artists. These retail spaces allow Various Projects to experiment with recurring themes in their own work: concern with distribution, collaboration, digression, and the creation of fluctuating communities.

In addition to the retail projects, Various Projects is partners in the gallery ARRATIA BEER, opened in 2007 in Berlin.